The invention relates to a transferring device, preferably a can transferring device, in particular for cans or can blanks for transferring or receiving cans, can blanks or other containers, a transferring system with at least one such transferring device and a method for transferring cans, can blanks or other containers.
A known can transferring device is described for example in the applicant's DE 10 2009 029 778 A1. The known can transferring device concerns a so-called vacuum drum with several prism-shaped can mounts arranged adjacent to one another in circumferential direction, which are movable as a function of the circumferential position parallel to the rotation axis of the vacuum drum, in order to be able receive cans from chain pins of a first transport chain and transfer them to can mounts of a further vacuum drum. In order to be able to transfer the cans onto chain pins of a transport chain or to receive them therefrom, and in order to hold the cans or respectively can blanks during transport along the transport path about the rotation axis in circumferential direction, suction means are provided, in order to be able to act upon the cans or respectively can blanks with negative pressure, i.e. to secure them by suction. During the transfer of a can or respectively a can blank from a can mount of a first vacuum drum to a can mount, running in a synchronized manner, of an adjacent second transferring device, the can or respectively the can blank is unguided for a period of time or respectively is in a state of flight, after the negative pressure of the suction means of the first vacuum drum abates, the can is suctioned by the suction means of the second vacuum drum, but the can does not yet lie against the can mount of the second vacuum drum. During this time of transfer, in which the can is moved perpendicularly to the rotation axis of the vacuum drum, it can occur that the can is not correctly aligned, falls down and/or tilts or respectively is lost. The transfer becomes particularly problematic during the so-called gap filling of cans, because in this case the two vacuum drums do not run synchronously over the entire time, but rather one of the vacuum drums in one cycle is both accelerated, the transfer takes place, and is then slowed down again. Hereby, the synchronous running time is reduced to approximately half compared with the permanent synchronous running, whereby a higher faulty transfer rate occurs. This problem is exacerbated by the attempts at an increasingly shorter cycle rate, i.e. increased can throughput rates.
From DE 10 2004 013 444 A1 a device and a method are known for transporting and transferring cigarettes, wherein the cigarettes are transported by a transferring device along a transport path and are transferred perpendicularly hereto along a transferring axis. For transferring the cigarettes, pivotable mounts are provided which are able to be acted upon by vacuum and which are pivotable from radially inwards to radially outwards during a rotational movement of the transferring device. The known transferring device is basically not suitable for the transferring of cans or can blanks, because the objects which are to be transferred are received unbuffered in the mount or respectively because the transfer takes place in an unbuffered manner, which in the case of cans or can blanks would result in a damage to the surface. The known device is suitable only for the transferring of comparatively soft or respectively compressible objects such as cigarettes. Furthermore, the moved masses in the case of the construction of the known transferring device for transferring cans would be so great owing to the provision of the pivot mechanisms that the cycle rate would be very limited. Furthermore, the construction is complex, comparatively sluggish, and the transfer must be carried out in a positively controlled manner via corresponding link guides.
From DE 31 00 792 A1 a transferring device of tubes is known, in which for centering the tubes in mount pockets, suction line openings are provided. In other words, the position of the tubes relative to chain pins is fixed by means of the application of negative pressure. The transfer takes place along the longitudinal axis of the tube by moving a transferring linkage. Owing to the heavyweight mechanism connected herewith, the cycle rate is very limited.
From DE 102 49 571 A1 a transferring device is known for transferring small pharmaceutical containers such as ampoules. The ampoules are able to be transferred perpendicularly to a circular transport device, wherein for this, pistons equipped with suction heads are movable in radial direction. Here, also, the problem is the complex mechanism and the size of the moved masses. Owing to the conveying of the containers by means of a screw conveyor, the device is basically not suitable for transferring cans or suchlike, because damage to the surface inevitably results.
From DE 43 33 186 A1 a transferring device which is able to be operated exclusively in a clocked manner is known for transferring blister packages. The known device must pause for a transfer cycle, i.e. can not rotate further, whereby the cycle rate is very limited. The device operates with comparatively rigid suction cups, which are movable along a transferring axis via a complex movement mechanism. Not only due to the clocked mode of operation (no rotation on transfer), but also due to the size of the moved masses, quick cycle rates are not able to be realized.
From DE 10 2005 011 130 A1 a transferring device for cans is known, wherein the transferring takes place via pivoted levers arranged pivotably relative to a drum. Here also, low limits are set for the cycle rate owing to the large moved masses.
EP 0 119 496 A describes a transferring device for hollow glass containers, wherein the mounts for the hollow glass containers are acted upon by vacuum. As the hollow glass containers are transferred from a conveyor belt to a conveyor belt (transport belt), i.e. the hollow glass containers can rest at the time of transfer in vertical direction downwards on transport belts, there is no problematic free flight phase as in the prior art during the transferring of cans, for example between two vacuum drums.
CH 678 616 A5 describes a transferring device for transferring pastries or confectioneries with a complex transferring mechanism, in which transferring arms must be moved relative to a drum. The known device is not suitable for the quick transferring of cans.